1. Technical Field
This application relates generally to nanomaterials and, in particular, to nanomaterials that increase mineralization in bone cells and affect gene expression through miRNA regulation and to applications thereof.
Some references, which may include patents, patent application publications and various other publications may be cited and discussed in the description. The citation and discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art”. Each reference cited in the following description is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
2. Background of the Technology
Bone is a living dynamic tissue and its constant rebuilding occurs through the combined action of osteoblast cells that generate bone and osteoclast cells that reabsorb it. Recently, a number of studies have focused on the growth of bone on nano-structural materials and the complex interactions between such materials and bone cells, both in vitro and in vivo [1, 2]. Because of their size and morphological properties, nanoscale materials can interact with cells and living tissues making them ideal vehicles for accelerated tissue regeneration and enhanced cellular proliferation [3, 4]. Moreover, these various shaped nanomaterials have been shown to specifically target and penetrate cells allowing delivery of genetic material [5].